KAUST held a "Run for a Cure" charity race on October 28 for breast cancer research, with over 425 participants from KAUST and partner organizations. A KAUST Ph.D. student discussed her research on non-invasive early cancer detection using plasma blood samples. The event included 10K, 5K, and 3K runs through KAUST, aligning with Vision 2030's goal of increasing public participation in sports. Why it matters: This event highlights KAUST's commitment to healthcare research, community engagement, and supporting national goals for health and sustainability.
KAUST organized a breast cancer awareness event in Thuwal on October 12, attended by over 150 women and girls from the local community, along with healthcare and education partners. The event featured educational lectures, personal stories from breast cancer survivors, and interactive sessions on early screening. KAUST's director of Social and Community Development highlighted the university's commitment to women's health and empowerment through such initiatives. Why it matters: This event demonstrates KAUST's commitment to social responsibility and community engagement by promoting health awareness and empowering women, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030.
MBZUAI researchers are refining AI techniques to improve cancer diagnosis for colorectal and breast cancer, both common in the Middle East. They are using "few-shot tissue image generation," in which AI generates data for training AI models to recognize lesions, addressing the challenge of limited training data. The developed framework improves the efficiency of radiologists in breast cancer diagnosis, leading to better detection of breast lesions and timely treatment interventions. Why it matters: These advancements in AI-aided diagnostics can lead to earlier and more accurate cancer detection, ultimately improving patient outcomes in the region and beyond.
MBZUAI master's student Sayed Hashim is applying machine learning to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment, motivated by personal loss. He and fellow student Muhammad Ali developed algorithms for cancer type classification from multi-omics data, achieving over 96% accuracy. Their work, supervised by MBZUAI faculty, resulted in a published paper on multi-omics data representation learning. Why it matters: This research demonstrates the potential of AI and machine learning to advance cancer research and personalized medicine in the region.
KAUST alumnus Dimitrios Kleftogiannis (Ph.D. '16) is now a cancer researcher at the University of Bergen, Norway, using bioinformatics to study liquid biopsies for cancer research. He transitioned from computer science to bioinformatics after his Ph.D. and was inspired by Prof. Mel Greaves at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. Why it matters: This highlights the impact of interdisciplinary training at KAUST and its alumni's contributions to applying AI and computational methods to advance healthcare research.
KAUST researchers developed a statistical approach to improve the identification of cancer-related protein mutations by reducing false positives. The method uses Bayesian statistics to analyze protein domain data from tumor samples, accounting for potential errors due to limited data. The team tested their method on prostate cancer data, successfully identifying a known cancer-linked mutation in the DNA binding protein cd00083. Why it matters: This enhances the reliability of cancer research at the molecular level, potentially accelerating the discovery of new therapeutic targets.
Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and Burjeel Medical City (BMC) are partnering to develop novel immunotherapy solutions for cancer treatment, focusing on T-cell based therapeutics like CAR-T and TIL therapy. In the first phase, TII will construct a computational platform to identify patient-specific antigens from single-cell transcriptomics data, enabling the design of CAR-T cells. The two-year partnership aims to boost the body's immune system to fight cancer and personalize cancer therapies using TII's technologies. Why it matters: This collaboration signifies the UAE's commitment to advancing cancer care through collaborative research and innovative solutions, potentially establishing the country as a leader in personalized oncology treatments.